The overarching theme of the Yopp article seemed to be the importance of an attitude of playfulness in learning phonemic awareness in the early grades. I think play is extremely important for young students learning. Most of the activities given as examples seemed very doable and fun. I especially like the idea of connecting these phonemic activities to math(counting) and classroom management. Getting kids to count syllables is something that can be done at many times of the day. The example they gave was during roll call to clap the syllables in their names and dismissal time listening for a certain number of claps which match their names. I also thought the "Teacher May I" game was an especially good example because it integrated large motor movement, phonemic awareness and counting. It made me think that I should be on the look out for times to integrate this important concept through out the day. I also thought the Clark article was very practical for giving me an idea of coaching kids in word recognition. However, the author stated that you should not emphasize the use of phonics rules. Much of the coaching seemed centered around phonics rules. I am not really sure the difference between using phonics rules and phonics cues.
I really like the "Teacher May I" game also. I thought it could be a great way to reach kinesthetic learners since this is often a subject that requires chidren to sit still.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that learning to read should be fun, learning in general needs to be fun. I know that some students have a difficult paying attention, so I think if there is an interactive game or activity like "Teacher May I," then they would be more willing and ready to learn to read.
ReplyDeleteI did not read the Yopp article, but I am glad you found some useful activities to use in it. I think it is important to integrate different subjects, so I think it would be interesting to read this article and see some of the activities it mentioned about connecting phonemic activities to math and classroom management. I will have to add this article to my reading list!
ReplyDeleteWhat I really enjoyed about the readings and what you highlighted in this blog was the importance of using phonemic awareness in a cross curricular manner. Any time a teacher can incorporate phonemic awareness into other lessons will benefit the students substantially.
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